Student Arrival Time

Graduates must be seated no later than 10 minutes before the start of the ceremony (11:20 am) at the Aquatic & Fitness Center. All graduates taking a diploma on stage are expected to be in academic attire (cap and gown).

Ceremony Duration and Reception

Regardless of the weather plan, the Biology Diploma Ceremony will be 90-120 minutes with an additional 20-30 minutes of informal post-ceremony reception. All graduates and guests are invited to participate in this reception which will be accompanied by light refreshments.

Guests / Tickets

• Biology Diploma Ceremony (no tickets required): Tickets are not issued/required for the Biology Diploma Ceremony. Each graduate may bring up to 6 guests so that each graduate has an equitable opportunity for family and friends to attend.  You may request additional guests on your RSVP form (to be sent out soon) and the department will let you know if this possible by May 1st if additional space is available.

• Final Exercises on the Lawn (tickets required): Degree candidates will receive a total of six (6) tickets for Final Exercises on the Lawn (morning ceremony) for use by family and guests. If Final Exercises is moved to John Paul Jones Arena under the severe weather plan, degree candidates will receive three (3) tickets.

Disability and Accessibility

The Alderman Road side of the Aquatics and Fitness Center has an accessible entrance.

Parking and Transportation recommends that families to park in the ADA lot of John Paul Jones so they may ride the Accessibility Shuttle which will take them to the lawn ceremony and then after the lawn concludes drop them off in front of AFC. They will need a valid placard or ADA pass from Parking to park in the ADA lot of JPJ which is by the JPJ Garage. Please visit this Major Events Parking page for parking tips and information.

Please visit the Major Events Accessibility page for information about services for persons with disabilities/limited mobility. Should you or your guests require disability-related accommodations, please send your request to adacoordinator@virginia.edu as early as possible. Examples of accommodations may include real-time captioning, ASL-English interpreting services, accessible seating, and accessible parking. The University ADA Coordinator will be available to provide assistance and guidance regarding accommodation requests.

Parking

Please visit this Major Events Parking page for parking tips and information.

Final Exercises and Lawn Ceremony

Information about Final Exercises and the Lawn Ceremony can be found at the Major Events Website or by calling 434-982-3099. Visit the Schedule of Events page for a complete list of activities planned for Finals Weekend.

Academic Attire (Caps and Gowns) 

Information about complimentary academic attire for bachelor, master, and doctoral degree candidates can be found on the Caps and Gowns Major Events Website or by calling (434) 924-3721.

Contact/Questions

We will post any updates to this site. Please contact Lisa Ishler at biol-ug@virginia.edu with any questions.